1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to electronic circuits, and more particularly, to pulse generation in dual supply systems.
2. Background
With the ever increasing demand for more processing capability in mobile devices, low power consumption has become a key design requirement. Various techniques are currently employed to reduce power consumption in such devices. One such technique involves reducing the operating voltage of certain circuits operating on a chip. As a result, different circuits on the chip operate at different voltages. Level shifters are used to convert one voltage level to another voltage level. Level shifters allow a signal to pass from one voltage domain to another voltage domain.
A common circuit used today in dual voltage systems is a one-shot pulse generator. A pulse is generated in a first voltage domain by the one-shot and then level shifted to a second voltage domain. The pulse is generated by gating a trigger with a delayed version of the trigger. The pulse-width is defined by the time between the trigger and the delayed trigger. However, the delay circuit may not track well with process, voltage and temperature (PVT) variations. The pulse width can be very narrow under extreme PVT conditions. This can cause a functional failure if the level-shifted pulse fails to switch from rail-to-rail. The only way to recover is by tuning the delay circuit. The can cost real estate and add timing complexities